Three levels of personalisation
- Merge fields — name, company, city. Necessary but not enough.
- Segment-level — the same message tailored to a niche and situation ("dentists with under 50 reviews in Austin").
- One-to-one — a first line about something specific to that business.
Most of the benefit comes from levels 2 and 3.
Personalise with data you already have
A Prospect Cheap lead carries a lot of material:
- Google Maps: rating, review count, Maps rank, category, no-website flag, photos, opening details
- YouTube: latest video title, upload date, subscribers, niche
- Facebook Ad Library: number of ads, how long they've run
- Product Hunt: launch date, rank, tagline
- TrustMRR: MRR, growth, category
- Skool: bio, location, level
Turn one field into a sentence: "Your 4.9 rating with 31 reviews…", "Congrats on #3 product of the day…", "Your 'budget espresso' video…".
Build segments first
Group your list before writing: by niche, city and signal (no website, low reviews, active ads). Then write one strong message per segment. Each group feels personal because the message really fits its situation.
Write first lines in batches
For one-to-one lines, work through 50 leads at a time with the lead detail open. Thirty seconds each is enough for one specific sentence. Put it in a custom column and use it as a variable.
Avoid fake personalisation
- "I love what you're doing at {Company}" — everyone sees through it.
- Mentioning things you didn't actually check.
- Overly personal details from someone's private life.
Measure
Compare reply rates between segments and between generic and personalised first lines. Keep what wins.